Archive for month: November, 2012

Today four Dutch experts in waste-to-energy and water treatment systems are joining the Shenzhen municipal government in a workshop aimed at providing Shenzhen hands-on advice on how to implement and optimize the energy supply and distribution plan of the Low-Carbon Zone in Longgang district, Shenzhen.

The world’s most efficient waste-to-energy facility in Amsterdam(Source: www.amsterdam.nl/aeb/english/about-us/)

The experts are from NL Agency, Waternet, and the Amsterdam Waste & Energy Company. The latter operates the world’s most efficient waste-to-energy facility, partly because of close collaboration with the neighbouring water treatment facility. The workshop, co-organised by the Netherlands Office of Science and Technology in Guangzhou, is part of the ongoing Low-Carbon Zone collaboration government-to-government (G2G) between The Netherlands and Shenzhen as a follow up to the large scale expert meeting that was held earlier this year. The workshop was preceded by site visits to existing power plants and water treatment facilities.

Tomorrow, architects from The Netherlands will advise the Shenzhen Institute of Building Research on the designs of the pilot projects, some of which are to be realized before June next year. Please check back for more updates.

https://www.hollandinnovation.cn/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/logo_holland_innovation_105.svg00hollandinnovationhttps://www.hollandinnovation.cn/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/logo_holland_innovation_105.svghollandinnovation2012-11-28 21:20:002012-11-28 21:20:00Dutch waste-to-energy & water treatment experts in Shenzhen to advise government

China successfully expanded and upgraded its electricity infrastructure in recent years. A strong domestic industrial base for transmission and distribution infrastructure equipment had been developed. The next step to make the grid ‘real smart’ and decentralized will be more difficult, according to a recent study of NOST China officer Dirk Jan Boudeling. With 7,3 billion USD in 2010, China is by far the world’s biggest investor in its electricity infrastructure. The relatively modern network in terms of design and used technology is mostly designed from clean sheet. China had a leapfrog advantage and put many efforts in the design of a strong grid. Thanks to the continuous investment and a thoroughly designed Smart Grid (standardization) Roadmap, China is on track in realization of major grid achievements like the ‘West to East transmission project’.

Throughout the history, China showed to be very competent in the realization of centrally planned infrastructures. However, a decentralized energy system is necessary for future and sustainable energy generation. China’s current regulatory framework is not yet ready for this.

The architecture of the information- or ‘virtual’ layer of the smart grid is at a developing phase. The expectation is that China still needs foreign technology to realize the virtual layer on mid-term. Eventually, China will try to create its own protocols and standards based on these (foreign) concepts for sensor- and monitoring technology or user oriented services is the expectation of the report.

China successfully tested its auto-driving car on a piece of highway between the city of Beijing and Tianjin last weekend. This 114 km journey took the self-driving vehicle 85 minutes at an average speed of 79 km per hour. The car is able to sense its environment through radar placed on top and cameras installed within and outside. With GPS and updated maps it can navigate its own way to the final destination. Advanced control system helps to analysis the information received and decide best way to go, to identify obstacles around and to read road signs. This car was developed by China Research Institute of Military Transportation. It had only recently won the ‘Best Smart Transportation Vehicle’ Price awarded by China’s National Natural Sciences Foundation (NSFC).

China has started its auto-driving vehicle R&D in the early 1980s. The first successful model was developed in 1992.

As a sequel of the earlier reported 100 tomato sequencing projected, a new sino-dutch collaboration project aiming to sequence 150 tomato varieties has been started. An international consortium, led by Wageningen UR, with partners from industry, government and science, have started to sequence the DNA of 150 tomato plants. From the Chinese side, BGI Shenzhen will provide Next Generation Sequencing and bioinformatics expertise. The aim of this so-called 150 Tomato Genome Sequencing project is to reveal and explore the genetic diversity available in tomato. The project will unlock important traits that are lost during domestication of the ancestors, for example resistance against pathogens, taste and health improving compounds. The project will thus help to make food production more sustainable. It will also help to reduce the time needed to develop new tomato lines.

For the first time PetroChina has entered the top 100 of a worldwide innovation list conducted by global management consulting firm Booz & Co. A total of 47 Chinese companies entered the 2011 Innovation 1000 list, compared with 40 Chinese companies in 2010’s survey, 23 in 2009 and 15 in 2008, according to the latest Global Innovation 1000 study.

This was the eighth annual analysis of corporate R&D spending by Booz & Co. Huawei Technologies Co. spent $ 3.8 billion in R&D last year. It is ranked 40thin the Global Innovation 1000 list, surpassing PetroChina to claim the position of the largest R&D spender among Chinese companies. The total R&D spent by 2011 Innovation companies headquartered in China was $ 14.8 billion. That compares with $ 11 billion the previous year. This is an increase of 34.5 percent over 2010.

A total of 13 Chinese companies were added to the list this year, including China National Chemical Engineering Co, China Shipbuilding Industry Co and Huayu Automotive Systems Co. Analysts said Chinese enterprises’ fast growing investment in R&D is an indication of a shift in their business strategy that is aimed at strengthening their core competitiveness. Globally, the innovation spending from the top 1000 public companies that spent the most on R&D in 2011 increased 9.6 percent to $ 603 billion – an all-time record, according to the survey.